Green Ink: Chu Warns China on Emissions

By

Keith Johnson

Jul 15, 2009 7:32 am ET

Crude oil futures crept above $60 a barrel ahead of U.S. inventory data which is expected to show a decline in oil and gasoline stocks, Bloomberg reports.

The Senate debate over energy and climate is showing some clarity, says Grist in a roundup of more hearings in the upper chamber. The GOP really, really wants nuclear power and doesn’t seem ready to compromise on anything that would raise energy prices.

The U.K. already has aggressive targets for curbing emissions and boosting clean energy; today the government will unveil the roadmap of just how to get there, in The Guardian. Better sort out planning problems first, notes the FT: “Ditlev Engel, chief executive of Vestas, described Britain as ‘probably one of the most difficult places in the world to get permission’ for wind projects.”

Energy Secretary Steven Chu told China it has to take action to fight climate change, even if the West bears historical responsibility for emissions. Developing-world inaction will only “make the problem worse,” Mr. Chu said, in the WSJ. Getting China on board is vital if Congress is to move forward with the climate bill, in the L.A. Times.

Dr. Chu said more clean-tech cooperation between the world’s biggest emitters would be a big part of the climate solution…